When the Great Conference Raid of the early part of the decade was going on, the Big East stocked up on Conference USA schools to fill their mega-conference. To keep a football league going (only Syracuse, Rutgers, West Virginia and Pitt remained), the Big East added C-USA's Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida to the mix (they also sped up UConn's participation).
The Big East also took in non-football schools Marquette and DePaul. But not Memphis. Why?
Whatever the reasoning was, I think both Memphis and the Big East would benefit if they partnered up. Adding Memphis would boost the football conference to nine members (perfect size for football) and bring in yet another dominant hoops program into the fold. Memphis is already a rival to Louisville and Cincinnati. It makes sense.
*Of course, I think 16-teams in the Big East is ridiculous so a 17-team league is insane! I would love to drop a school from the current membership, but no one fits the bill. St. John's has to stay since they bring in New York; Seton Hall does the same. You cannot get rid of any of the football schools even if you wanted to (looking at you, South Florida). The only team I feel that could be dumped is DePaul, but that closes up the Chicago market.
For Memphis, this would put them in the big, big time. They are already one of the better programs in the nation. However, their membership in the soft Conference USA has made them a sort-of UNLV of the 21st century. This big program that dominates its inferior league and then tries to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
There is nothing wrong with that, but it is tough to keep things going on the fringe. If Memphis was in the Big East, I don't think John Calipari would think about going anywhere else. He'd still get the same great recruits, he will see his program on television a whole lot more and his team would be more battle tested than it is right now. Sure, he'll lose more games in the Big East, but his teams will be better off when the tournament comes around.
At Kentucky, Calipari will get those things. He'll have the huge platform to sell his program. His team will be on ESPN and CBS all the time. He'll get to play the Louisvilles, North Carolinas, Indianas and Floridas of the world on a yearly basis. At Memphis, Calipari must schedule a lot of tough non-conference games to offset the week conference schedule. At Kentucky, the schedule pretty much writes itself.
It's not Calipari's fault that he longs for these things. Memphis cannot give him that. They can give him a program with more backing than people think, a conference he can dominant and he has shown he can get anybody from anywhere to come to his school. He also answers to no one. There aren't the lofty expectations like there are at Kentucky. Memphis was just upended in the Sweet 16 this year. Still a pretty good year for the Tigers. While Kentucky would love that right now, that won't play too well for too long. Just ask Tubby Smith.
This is Memphis' golden era.
And there is the thing. If Calipari leaves, who would want to take his place? Who would want to come into a program that will be completely deflated? Who would want to follow what Calipari did? Players will pour out of the program over the next year or so and Memphis will go back to the way it was before 2000.
I know that realignment isn't the fad right now and the Big East is overweight as it is. But Memphis needs to keep plugging away and trying to get in the Big East before it is too late.
The Big East also took in non-football schools Marquette and DePaul. But not Memphis. Why?
Whatever the reasoning was, I think both Memphis and the Big East would benefit if they partnered up. Adding Memphis would boost the football conference to nine members (perfect size for football) and bring in yet another dominant hoops program into the fold. Memphis is already a rival to Louisville and Cincinnati. It makes sense.
*Of course, I think 16-teams in the Big East is ridiculous so a 17-team league is insane! I would love to drop a school from the current membership, but no one fits the bill. St. John's has to stay since they bring in New York; Seton Hall does the same. You cannot get rid of any of the football schools even if you wanted to (looking at you, South Florida). The only team I feel that could be dumped is DePaul, but that closes up the Chicago market.
For Memphis, this would put them in the big, big time. They are already one of the better programs in the nation. However, their membership in the soft Conference USA has made them a sort-of UNLV of the 21st century. This big program that dominates its inferior league and then tries to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
There is nothing wrong with that, but it is tough to keep things going on the fringe. If Memphis was in the Big East, I don't think John Calipari would think about going anywhere else. He'd still get the same great recruits, he will see his program on television a whole lot more and his team would be more battle tested than it is right now. Sure, he'll lose more games in the Big East, but his teams will be better off when the tournament comes around.
At Kentucky, Calipari will get those things. He'll have the huge platform to sell his program. His team will be on ESPN and CBS all the time. He'll get to play the Louisvilles, North Carolinas, Indianas and Floridas of the world on a yearly basis. At Memphis, Calipari must schedule a lot of tough non-conference games to offset the week conference schedule. At Kentucky, the schedule pretty much writes itself.
It's not Calipari's fault that he longs for these things. Memphis cannot give him that. They can give him a program with more backing than people think, a conference he can dominant and he has shown he can get anybody from anywhere to come to his school. He also answers to no one. There aren't the lofty expectations like there are at Kentucky. Memphis was just upended in the Sweet 16 this year. Still a pretty good year for the Tigers. While Kentucky would love that right now, that won't play too well for too long. Just ask Tubby Smith.
This is Memphis' golden era.
And there is the thing. If Calipari leaves, who would want to take his place? Who would want to come into a program that will be completely deflated? Who would want to follow what Calipari did? Players will pour out of the program over the next year or so and Memphis will go back to the way it was before 2000.
I know that realignment isn't the fad right now and the Big East is overweight as it is. But Memphis needs to keep plugging away and trying to get in the Big East before it is too late.
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